New ‘Do It Yourself’ (DIY) summer reading camp for families and groups is designed to education standards, culturally relevant, and fun to reach and teach Latino students

July 8, 2014 12:26 PM EDT

WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 8, 2014 – (HISPANICIZE WIRE) – The nation’s first online Summer Reading Program specifically designed for Latino children ranging from newborns to young adults returns this summer using interactive web-based programs and social media to help parents, students, and educators counter the summer learning loss where children can lose up to 22% of the school year’s knowledge during the idle vacation months. The L4LL Latino Children’s Summer Reading Program allows students, parents, and educators to track the time spent reading and completing the curriculum while staying engaged through interactive events including literacy and family-focused crafts on our website blog and YouTube videos. Families have until July 14, 2014 to register for the program and enter with students who read eight books over the summer qualifying to enter for great reading incentives such as Google Chromebooks.

“Hispanics are the fastest growing segment of the population who also face education attainment and achievement challenges. We’re thrilled to offer free online resources to help parents and guardians boost their children’s literacy skills over the summer”

“Hispanics are the fastest growing segment of the population who also face education attainment and achievement challenges. We’re thrilled to offer free online resources to help parents and guardians boost their children’s literacy skills over the summer,” L4LL co-founder Monica Olivera says. “For families with children in the critical group of second through sixth grade, we expanded the summer reading program to include a 10-week fun, culturally relevant, and pedagogically designed curriculum for students through an easy and inexpensive Premium subscription.”

This year, 6- to 12-year-old children will be able to participate in our L4LL “Do It Yourself” (DIY) Summer Reading Camp available in English and Spanish, featuring more than 100 culturally relevant, fun, and Common Core aligned literacy-focused activity worksheets for families or organizations such as libraries, schools, and community groups. The DIY Summer Reading Camp centers on 10 different themes: Music, Art, Poetry, Folklore, Summer, Sports, Nature, Food, Familia, and Immigration & Heritage.

“Not only have my kids been reading and writing in English and Spanish but they are learning new skills through hands-on activities such as origami,” says Lorraine Ladish, mom and founder/editor-in-chief of the Latina woman-focused website Viva Fifty. Ladish continues, “As a work-at-home mom, the DIY Summer Reading Camp is an affordable way to keep my kids busy and learning. What a lifesaver!”

The DIY Summer Reading Camp has a modest family subscription of $50 and Hispanicize readers receive an additional 10% discount with the coupon code: hispz1410.

Like last year, our free basic registration program allows families, educators, and students to access bilingual literacy materials, including:

— L4LL Summer Reading Lists with titles by U.S. Latino children’s authors and illustrators divided by age

— Reading pledges

— Reading logs

— Certificates of achievement

All participants have access to free digital eBooks and can even challenge themselves with online quizzes thanks to our partnership with Qlovi, a free K-12 eReading and writing platform.

Additionally, all participants who complete the program qualify to enter our reading incentives giveaway–perfect for heading back to school. Our giveaway includes Google Chromebooks, Google Play gift cards, Zoobean Book-of-the-Month club subscription, and basic school supplies. Updates and additional information will be posted on our, Google+, Facebook, and Twitter pages.